Saturday, May 20, 2017

On Friday, May 19, 2017 at 12:21 p.m., SHASCOM received an emergency call from Air Traffic Controllers at the Redding Municipal Airport. They advised there was an inbound plane declaring an unknown type of emergency and the pilot did not believe he would make it to the runway. Deputies with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the incident and while responding, Shascom advised the plane was approximately six miles south of the airport. Seconds after the updated location, deputies were advised the plane, “fell off the radar” somewhere in the Cottonwood area. Witnesses in the area of Lyle Lane and Locust Road saw the plane flying low and crash into a nearby field.Deputies arrived and located the pilot being treated by medical personnel.The pilot was identified as Pete Bulthuis, DOB 03/12/42. He advised he had taken off from the Stockton, Ca area and while making his descent into Redding, his plane began losing power. Bulthuis stated he took immediate action and tried to land his plane on Locust Road near the intersection of Lyle Lane. Bulthuis related that his right wing hit a power pole causing his plane to flip over and crash into the field.He was able to get out of the plane on his own. Bulthuis was transported to a local hospital where he is currently being treated for non-life threatening injuries.The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the California Highway Patrol, Redding Police Department, Anderson Police Department, and local Medical and Fire personnel. The FAA and NTSB have been contacted and advised of this incident. The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office will conduct the initial investigation and forward the case to the FAA and NTSB.Original article can be found here: http://eastvalleytimes.com

The pilot of a Cessna 172M Skyhawk was injured Friday afternoon after his craft went down south of Anderson and flipped over.The pilot, identified as Pete Bulthuis, 75, reported he was low on fuel and tried to find a safe place to land. He was able to get out of the Cessna 172M Skyhawk on his own and was taken to a Redding hospital for treatment of his injuries, said Capt. Pat Kropholler of the Shasta County Sheriff's Office."He was walking and talking," Kropholler said, but the extent of the pilot's injuries was not known.In a press release, deputies said the pilot was being treated at a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.Dispatchers reported a low-flying plane and its possible crash just before 12:30 p.m. near Lyle Lane and Locust Road between Anderson and Cottonwood.Emergency personnel from the Sheriff's Office, Anderson Fire Department, California Highway Patrol and others responded to the crash.Kropholler said the airplane was flying from the Stockton area. Deputies later said Bulthuis was descending toward Redding Municipal Airport when the plane began losing power.He told deputies he tried to land on Locust Road near the corner of Lyle Lane but his right wing clipped a power pole, flipping the Cessna plane.No power lines had fallen and the crash did not cause a fire."We're very fortunate it didn't start a fire," Kropholler said.The Sheriff's Office was coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board in the investigation into the crash.The crash remains under investigation.Story and video: http://www.redding.com